


5 Times Peter Parker Almost Came Out to the Avengers

by Babereflective



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5 Things, 5 Times, 5+1 Things, Bi Peter Parker, Bisexual Peter Parker, Coming Out, Gen, Iron Dad, Irondad, LGBTQ Character, My First AO3 Post, My First Work in This Fandom, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart, aka my fave fic style, spider son, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-15 12:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15412785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babereflective/pseuds/Babereflective
Summary: (And the One Time He Did)Peter Parker had a secret. No matter how badly he wanted to share it, he couldn’t, he knew he couldn’t. Deep down he knew it wasn’t a big deal, but it was. It was a huge deal, and sometimes he thought he would never tell anyone how he really felt.You see, Peter Parker was a bi disaster. He told himself that he wasn’t the type of boy to stare at cute strangers too long or smile at the thought of a school yard crush, but oh boy he was. But nobody could know that. Well, nobody except Ned and MJ.





	1. Bi Anthem

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! uhhhh this is my first AO3 fic and also my first marvel fic so go easy on me please? I'll thank you for it. All comment and kudos are well appreciated and I'll try not to fizzle out my energy halfway through this fic ;) Maybe the comments and kudos will make me persevere!

Peter Parker had a secret. No matter how badly he wanted to share it, he couldn’t, he knew he couldn’t. Deep down he knew it wasn’t a big deal, but it was. It was a huge deal, and sometimes he thought he would never tell anyone how he really felt.

You see, Peter Parker was a bi disaster. He told himself that he wasn’t the type of boy to stare at cute strangers too long or smile at the thought of a play yard crush, but oh boy he was. But nobody could know that. Well, nobody except Ned and MJ. 

He came out to them on accident really, and it wasn’t the ideal situation, but they just shrugged their shoulders and went on with their day. It made Peter feel….good. Like a weight had been lifted off his shoulder, but only a 5 pound weight. We hadn’t told May, or Ben, or Tony when he came along, and he sure hadn’t told the Avengers.

‘We just aren’t that close, I mean, they’re the Avengers’ he told himself to make the small guilt he felt disappear, only for it to show up again when one of them teased him saying “When are you going to get a girlfriend?” 

Of course, girls were nice too, but sometimes he just wished they knew the truth about him. 

Ned was Peter’s cheerleader, always nudging him to come out to May and Tony and all the rest. But Peter was just a shy football player who would rather sit on the bench than play the game.

But just like coming out to his best friends was an accident, Peter was scared that could happen with everyone else. His fear was validated, of course, when he almost let his secret slip one day in the lounge room at the Avengers compound.

Tony thought it would be nice to have a little movie marathon (although they probably wouldn’t end up making it through 2.)

The first movie was actually Peters pick since he was the youngest. He swore up and down that ‘that’s just how the order goes!’ and Tony wasn’t going to put up a fight with the kid.

So that’s how the Avengers ended up watching Grease with popcorn in hand. Peter, of course, sang along to every song, and to everyone's surprise, Bucky did too.   
“Since when have you seen Grease?” Peter asked the polished antique. He spoke for just about everyone.

“I may be old but I’m not living under a rock, brat.” Bucky responded defensively, but Peter could see the amusement in his eyes. 

Bucky continued to sing along to most of the songs he could remember, and it was left unspoken. They all watched with anticipating eyes, well almost everybody. Bucky may have updated himself on classic cinema, but Steve Rogers was not so up-to-date. He seemed to enjoy himself though, which earned Peter a proud, mental pat on the back from himself for showing the soldier something he would probably learn to love.

And soon, the classic “good girl turns bad” scene approached them. It was by far Peter’s favorite part. 

“It’s just so iconic!” He practically shouted when Sandy dropped her cigarette to the floor to smoosh it with her heel. At this point he was sitting on his knees on the leather couch and hugging a pillow with a big grin on his face, belting out the lyrics without taking in the amused stares from his teammates.

Finally the movie ended, and Peter put his head back and groaned.

“Ugh, it’s just such a bi anthem!” He exclaimed happily before quickly realizing his words. The Avengers turned their heads to looked at him with confused eyes. He felt like a deer in the headlights. 

Maybe it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal to anyone else, but to be honest, Peter never talked about LGBTQ stuff because he wasn’t sure if the Avengers thought it was ok. To Peter, this was a huge deal, and he felt himself shake. 

“Oh, uh, um, I just, it’s like,” he stuttered. “As I’ve heard from people who are bi, I mean who identify as... you know what? Forget I said anything.” He spit out. “I gotta use the restroom.” He finally said before getting up and speeding out of the room without meeting anyone’s eyes. 

The Avengers shared worried glances, confused glances. Natasha spoke up.

“Is that something we need to discuss?” She asked the group. A beat skipped before Tony replied an unsure ‘No’. Everyone else just shrugged it off and began discussing the second movie in their marathon.

After about 20 minutes, Peter didn’t return to the group and Tony began to worry. Nobody seemed to noticed his absence too much, but Tony just had to make sure he was ok. 

After checking a few different bathrooms, he finally heard deep breathing coming from one on the same floor. He wavered a moment before knocking twice and accompanying it with “You ok, Pete?” 

He heard the breathing stop and he felt a pause before hearing a muffled but audible “Yeah” in an ‘I’m not ok but I’m acting like it’ type tone. 

Tony wasn’t going to press him, mostly because he didn’t know how. He didn’t really even know what had made the boy so uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure if it was invading his privacy, or if they were even close enough to do so, so he just settled for a basic reply.   
“Are you coming back to watch the next movie? I think Natasha wants to watch The Devil Wears Prada, you like that one don’t you?” He said to the bathroom door. 

He heard the lock turn and watched as the 15 year old emerged from the bathroom with a small smile that he couldn’t quite figure out was genuine or not.

“Yeah, Mr. Stark, but I’m feeling kinda tired, is it ok if I go to bed now?” The boy responded. Tony was a little surprised. ‘How could this boy resist The Devil Wears Prada?’ he thought, but he didn’t pry. 

“Uh, yeah, of course pete, but you’ll have to make it up to us another night, ok?” He tried to say in a joking tone, the type that would usually accompany an arm punch. Tony didn’t try it. 

All Peter could say was “Ok, g’night Mr. Stark.” As he walked towards the elevator to his room. Tony patted him on the back as he walked away, and glanced one more time at the boy as he walked away.

Tony still wasn’t sure what the problem was or why Peter had suddenly turned into a scared puppy contrasting his previous excited self. He had said that Grease was a bi anthem. What does that even mean? And why did Peter get all nervous?

Tony didn’t understand some of the things the kids said these days. “It was probably just some vine reference. He likes to quote those a lot.” He said to himself as he walked back to the lounge to join the others for the next movie. 

The rest of the night felt quieter, and they all avoided the elephant in the room. Some of the team members were confused, some had an idea of why Peter had acted so strangely, though they’d never say why. 

Meanwhile, Peter didn’t get to sleep. He didn’t even try. He layed in bed for hours, the words that came out of his mouth repeating. 

“You know what?” He mentally asked himself, “It doesn’t even matter. They probably didn’t even notice, it’s no big deal.” He kept telling himself, only to get himself down again by thinking of their confused looks. He sighed.

“They’ll never know” he mumbled under his breath before eventually falling asleep


	2. Uh, The Fizzy Kind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only been one day but here's another chapter :) I hope it lives up to the first one! I got a lot of positive messages about the last chapter so I hope you like it! This was inspired by one of the comment of the last chapter so let's hope this serves it justice :) Enjoy!

The Avengers could be stealthy. Of course they could be, they fought aliens and bad guys for a living (They were highly against the term “bad guys” because it sounded childish, but what could Peter say? They fought bad guys.) With Natasha Romanoff on the team, they could go undercover at will (some better than others) and nobody could see them coming.

But ‘at will’ is the key phrase here. After spending some time with them, Peter realized that they could be the most obvious individuals in human history. So that’s how Peter ended up in the fanciest restaurant in town with all the Avengers, none of which were in disguise. They didn’t even try to fit in.

Natasha, one known for her incredible stealth, was dressed up in a sequin gown that could probably be seen from space. Peter didn’t even know she wore that kind of thing. The rest of them were fitted in their finest suits that probably costs more than his rent for the year living in queens.

Bruce and Tony wore very similar suits, which ended up with Tony changing clothes because there was no way they were going out in public with the same suit on. Steve was toned down a considerable amount compared to the others with with his button up shirt instead of the fancy jackets the others wore.

At first Peter wasn’t going to go, he knew he would stick out like a sore thumb, but Tony insisted he went. So he showed up to the avengers compound in a dress shirt and khakis, only to find that Mr. Stark had ordered a tailored suit for him to wear instead. 

It looked expensive, something that Peter would never be able to afford. It was a deep blue velvet with golden buttons lining the front. It even had a white pocket square poking out.

“You got to have a pocket square kid.” Tony justified when Peter asked about it. He absolutely loved it, though. In fact, he loved the suit as a whole, but one thing kept nagging him. 

“I can’t afford this, Mr. Stark.” The boy said sadly to his mentor. 

“I’m not asking you to Pete, just take it.” He would reply in a matter-of-fact tone.

He insisted on knowing the price to pay him back even the smallest amount, but Tony would only say “It’s no big deal kid, just wear it.”

After a few minutes of protest, Peter finally thanked him for the suit and Tony patted him on the back and told him to get changed. 

He came out once he was dressed and found all the avengers waiting outside of his room, as if it were one of those makeover reveal shows and Peter was the contestant. He figured that Tony convinced them to.

All of his team members started clapping and ooh-ing, and it embarrassed him just a little but he wouldn’t admit it. He finally convinced them to calm down enough to go to the restaurant, and so they went downstairs to the limo that was waiting for them.

Peter really couldn’t believe it. A limo? Why were they being so extra tonight? The only other time Peter had ridden in a limousin was when Mr. Stark had taken him to Germany. But this one is different, this one was longer.

But the rest of the Avengers looked at it like this was normal, which suddenly got him wondering how often they rode in these. But they all piled in and were off to the restaurant.

Nobody had told Peter exactly where they were going, so when they pulled up to a building with a gold exterior and doormen waiting to open the front doors, Peter was a little scared. 

This had to have been, like, the fanciest place he had ever even looked at in real life. He didn’t have the attitude or the class. Even with his expensive tailored suit, he just knew that everyone could see through him, that they could see that he was just a poor boy whose aunt had to work extra hours just to scrape by.

It’s like Tony sensed that the boy was anxious.

“Pete, just hold your chin up and walk like everybody knows your name.” He told him calmly as they stepped out of the vehicle, like it wasn't a big deal. 

Peter tried abiding by those guides. As they walked from the parked car in front of the building, Peter lifted his head. He kept behind Bruce and Steve and watched how they did it. They didn’t seem nervous at all, they looked cool. 

“Is this even something to be nervous about?” Peter thought. “Probably not.”

He knew it wasn’t true, but he felt eyes burning into him. They went to the front desk where the waiter immediately recognized them. His eyes went wide, but Peter suspected that if he acted too freaked out he’d be fired. 

It seemed like the kind of place to do that, to be too focused on reputation.

So the man grabbed 5 menus - all adult ones (Peter was used to getting kids menus at these type of places) - and began leading Natasha, Bruce, Steve, Tony and Peter to a table near the back.

As they walked back, Peter felt his spidey senses going crazy. He looked around to realize that all eyes were on them. You know, the Not So Subtle Avengers™. 

They couldn’t reach their seats fast enough. They sat in a circular table by the wall, and Peter sat against it, looking out to the rest of the restaurant.

They waited a few minutes before a different waiter approached them to take their drink orders. He looked to be about 20-ish and was dressed in his uniform - a suit and bowtie. And, well, he was cute.

Nobody seemed to noticed how Peter looked just a little too long as he went around the table asking their drink orders. 

“And what would you like, sir?” He asked Peter, which took him off guard while his head was in the clouds. The Avengers were staring. Crap, they were staring. Peter might have spent some time around the heroes, he may have opened up just a little, but his inner child was screaming at him to not embarrass himself in front of them.

“Sir?” The waiter repeated. Damn. Peter had still been staring. 

He opened his mouth to let out out reply but he didn’t know what to say. What kind of drinks do you order at fancy restaurant when you’re underage?

“Uh, Coke?” He said in an unsure tone. He watched the team look back and forth between him and the waiter as the ‘conversation’ continued, if you could even call it that. It looked like they were watching a slow game of tennis

“I’m sorry sir, we don’t carry Coke products.” The waiter supplied. Peter internally groaned. 

“Uh,” he paused. “Sparkling water?” he said almost pleading. He wanted this to be over already. He didn’t even really like sparkling water. He had already embarrassed himself enough, the longer he kept talking the bigger a fool he could become.

The waiter replied “Alright sir, what kind would you like?” as he jotted it down on his pad. Peter didn’t know what to say. There were different kinds?

“Um...the fizzy kind?” He sighed. The waiter chuckled, which made Peter turn an even darker shade of red than before.

“I just mean what flavor. There’s cherry, blackberry and lime. Which would you like?” 

Peter paused before asking for cherry. Finally, the interaction was over. Was he that much of a clutz that he couldn’t even talk to people?

Of course he was, he was Peter Parker, the local bi disaster. The bi disaster that almost face planted at the roller rink once because a cute boy accidentally brushed up against his arm. The bi disaster that was in love with Kim Possible because she was just so cool. The bi disaster that couldn’t admit that he was a bi disaster

Once all the drinks had been ordered, the waiter walked away. Peter let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Of course, Natasha was going to be the one to break the silence and harp on Peter’s awkwardness. 

“Starstruck, huh?” She said casually but with a slight smirk. Once again, the eyes of the rest of the table were on him, and all of them were struggling to hold back a laugh. Even Tony, which Peter would have to yell at him for later.

“What? No, I just, I don’t know how to, like, order, and, I don’t know, just let it go.” He said with a huff and red cheeks.

“Oh you’re getting defensive, huh?” Steve joked. ‘Since when did Steve joke with me?’ the youngest thought.

“No, I just got caught up, ok?” He said crossing his arms.

Natasha pretended to be a starstruck fangirl. “What, caught up in his eyes?” She gasped while clasping her hands together.

Peter was scared. Did they know? Did Wanda read his mind and tell the others? Was he that see through or did Ned or MJ somehow tell them? 

“No, I didn’t!” He said louder than anticipated. Patrons from a few tables over were looking in his direction. The Avengers’ eyes suddenly dimmed from playful to concerned. It made Peter even more self conscious than he thought he could be. Natasha put her hand on his shoulder.

“I’m just joking, don’t worry about it, kid. We know you’re not used to this kind of crowd” she said calmly. Peter mumbled a sorry before closing his mouth and looking down at his hands.

There were a few moments of awkward silence where things were unsure, but eventually the rest of the team continued conversations about new discoveries or issues they needed to address.

Peter didn’t say much the rest of the night, no matter how many times one of the others tried to get him to engage. He would give a quick and precise answer and maybe nod his head in replacement for yes or no. 

The others noticed but they weren’t going to mention it. Peter could be stubborn. If he didn’t want to talk about it, he wasn’t going to. Sometimes after telling a joke they would glance at him to see if he would laugh, but he never seemed to.

Tony even tried to get him to tell them about how he helped him in the lab the other day. Usually he’d go on and on, but he seemed to dread it now. Tony could practically see him choosing his words carefully, he could see how he wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes. 

It really baffled Tony. Usually if Tony made fun of him he would say something quick witted to rebound and it would be lighthearted, but something about what Natasha said really stuck to him.

The rest of the night was like this. What was supposed to be a fun evening seemed to turn into a forced outing that Peter thought would never end. They finished their meal, got into the limo and went back to the compound. Peter went to his room and only came out a couple times before going to bed. 

“That was too close to a call, Parker.” He mumbled to himself. He couldn’t let it happen again. If they ask him about his lovelife, he says he doesn’t have one. If they ask him about boys, he denies it. Peter didn’t want it to come to that, but he wasn’t ready to come out. Not to them. What if they kicked him out of the compound? What if Tony wanted the suit back. What if they avoided him”

In his head he knew that wouldn’t happen, but he’s seen the horror stories of kids who came out and suffered consequences. He wasn’t about to be one of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooof that was a lot longer than the last one! Or at least I think so lol. Again, any kudos and comments are well appreciated! I love reading every single one :) and if you have any suggestions or ideas just let me know because I could always use them! And I'd love to know what you think about this chapter because I really can't tell if it's in character or if it makes any sense, so any constructive criticism is welcome :) I'll see you in the next chapter! Thanks for reading!


	3. Peter "I Don't Like Boys" Parker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guuuyyyys, ya girl is back with another bi disaster Peter Parker. Like the last chapter, this one was inspired by a comment, so thank you for the idea :) I really really really hope you guys enjoy again, I can't tell if these are any good but this chapter has little baby angst so uhhh lookout for that!

Peter loved his friends. Ned and MJ meant the world to him and they helped him through times he didn’t think he’d ever get over. They accepted him for who he was without question, and he did the same for them.

They were as close as siblings. But siblings could be annoying and throw him under the bus while still saying ‘we love you!’

Peter came to that realization the day he let MJ and Ned into the Avengers compound for the first time. 

After months of Ned pleading to Peter to show him the tower, he finally gave in. 

“I’m your guy in the chair! I have to see this kind of stuff!” He protested, which was what made Peter finally cave. MJ said she ‘didn’t really care’, she just wanted to observe ‘for science’, but Peter could tell she was just as excited to see this side of him.

So that’s how Happy Hogan ended up picking up 3 annoying teenagers instead of just one

Ned promised to play it cool if he met any Avengers, but Peter doubted he could actually contain himself if they passed Steve Rogers in the hallways or Bruce Banner in the kitchen. He hoped they wouldn’t.

As much as Peter loved Ned and MJ, he just knew this wasn’t a good idea. But he was pleasantly surprised when nothing went wrong the first couple hours.

As he led them through the hallways, narrating as their tour guide, he took them through floors one by one, explaining what went on in the different room.

Peter just knew that Ned was going to pass out when he saw the rooms the Avengers trained in.

“Is that REALLY Captain America’s punching bag!” He exclaimed before walking over to it and trying it out for himself. 

“Ned, I think you’re going to need to be a lot stronger if you want that thing to budge.” He laughed as he watched his friend punch it with all his strength, letting out a low ‘ow’ when he didn’t succeed.

Peter could tell that MJ was having a good time too, she even carried a little notebook where he assumed she was taking notes. He asked her about it and she said she was just being a good researcher, whatever that meant.

She actually got excited when they saw some of Natasha’s stuff, but both of the boys could tell she was trying not to seem too nerdy.  
“Come on, we know you love Black Widow, you can try to hide your inner geek all you want but we see through you, dork.” Ned teased when MJ tried to brush off her excitement.

She finally gave up and gushed just a little.

“She’s a feminist icon guys, what can I say” She said cooly.

“You’d love to meet Shuri, then.” Peter responded.

He even took them to Tony’s lab, but they didn’t go in because Peter couldn’t have MJ prodding every piece of tech and Ned tripping over wires in a hurry as he tried to get to something he saw across the room. 

By the end of the tour, they were all practically starved, so Peter led them back to the kitchen to find food and eat in the lounge. 

They settled for some chips and soda. Peter laughed at the thought of Steve Rogers scolding him for eating junk food. But Peter was a teenager, what could else could he say?

Ned was talking at 90 miles a minute, he was just so excited to finally see where the Avengers stayed and Peter spent most of his weekends.

They got to talking about the team and how cool they were, but the conversation started turning south.

“So Peter,” MJ began in a slight playful voice. “Which Avenger,” she paused again. “Do you think, is the cutest.”

Peter blinked. What?

“What...what do you mean?” He asked.

“You heard me, Parker.” She grinned. Ned’s eyes lit up as his mouth formed a devious smirk and shoved another handful of chips in his mouth like it was popcorn.

“Uh, guys,” He said with a nervous laugh, “I can’t answer that, it’s too dumb of a question.” 

He tried laughing to steer the topic away, but it was no use. Cogs were visibly turning in Ned and MJ’s heads as they gave each other knowing looks, as if they could read each other’s minds

“Look, Peter, Peter Peter Peter,” MJ said to the boy growing more embarrassed by the second. “Would we even be your friends if we couldn’t tease you just a little?” She continued matter-of-factly.

“Guys, they’re my teammates, I can’t have those kind of thoughts.” Peter said starting to grow flustered.

“Come on dude, we’re your friends. You can tell us.” Ned chimed in

“Uh, yeah, sure, if there was anything to tell. They’re my friends.” 

Peter was getting more and more annoyed as his friends kept pushing. What was their deal? They never asked him about this type of stuff, especially when the Avengers were involved.

“Aw, come on Pete, you know we’re just messing with you.” MJ reassured. “But seriously, is it the slick and deadly Natasha Romanoff? Or maybe the strange and mysterious Bucky Barnes?” She said playfully, wiggling her eyebrows under her curtain of curly hair.

“Haha, come on guys, you loser-” The blushing boy was cut off by an unseen voice.

“What’s that?” He heard coming from behind him. Bucky Barnes was leaning in the doorway of the lounge with a questioning expression.

‘Ned and Peter’s eyes’ became the size of the moon when they realized the soldier had joined them, Peter more out of embarrassment than surprise. 

Ned was sat staring with his mouth opening and closing like a fish. They hadn’t encountered any of the actual Avengers on their tour, much to Peter’s relief.

The only thing keeping Peter from literally cracking was the fact that he didn’t think Bucky had heard any of their conversation, he was only alerted by his name. 

Peter was surprised when he looked at MJ who had a completely calm look on her face. Classic MJ, always cool, even when meeting 100 year old soldiers.

Peter stumbled his words. “W-what” What a dumb sentence when Peter knew exactly why he had gotten Barnes’s attention.

“I just heard my name.” He said making a gesture with his hand and moving towards the 3 slowly.

“Oh, uh no you didn’t.” Peter tried.

“So, you didn’t just say Bucky Barnes?” He said, a forming smile on his mouth from the looks of the two boys. 

“Well, um, no, that was just my dumb friend.” He answered while nodding towards MJ. Peter didn't expect her to take the conversation into her own hands, she had never even met him. Peter had met him several times and still had a hard time talking to him sometimes.

“Yeah, Parker here was just telling us who the cutest Avenger was.” She said without even skipping a beat. She didn’t even look embarrassed. 

“Ah,” Bucky said with a grin. “Is is my hair, kid? I don’t blame you.” He teased. “And since when are you into boys, Parker?” 

Peter’s eyes widened a hundred times more. 

“What? No! No I don’t! I mean I’m not! Into boys I mean, I don’t, I mean I’m not like, into boys!” Peter practically shouted. This could not be the way he came out, he wasn’t ready, especially not when they were on the topic of Cutest Avenger. 

He loved his two friends, but right now he really despised them. 

“Relax kid, I’m just playing. Old dudes like me still know how to joke around, make no mistake.” He said looking slightly uncomfortable at the sudden outburst, but trying to diffuse the tension with a bit of humor.

He turned around to walk away, but made sure to give a slight smile and wave to Ned, who was still goggling over him. 

When he walked out, the room was silent. 

That silence was, of course, broken by MJ. She started laughing. 

She grabbed her stomach as if she was in pain, but the only one in pain was Peter. It wasn’t a joke to him, it wasn’t funny. Usually he didn’t care when his friends teased him, but this went beyond that.

He knew that neither Ned nor MJ could predict Bucky’s appearance, but now they were both laughing and all Peter wanted to do was die. 

He didn’t want to seem like a child. He didn’t want them to think he was upset over nothing. Maybe he was upset over nothing, but he came so close to exposing a secret Peter wasn’t ready to share, that he was cracking under the stress.

He didn’t want to be angry, it wasn’t their fault.

MJ was trying to spit out some string of words over her laughter that Peter didn’t care to hear. Ned has laying on the floor, wiping tears from his eyes. 

Peter couldn’t understand what was so funny. He was almost outed. Maybe Bucky was just joking, or maybe he just knew and got scared away by Peter.

Before he knew it, he too was wiping away tears, but for a completely different reason than the other two. 

It took a few moments before they all realized. MJ stopped laughing, Ned sat up, and Peter broke the dam that kept in the rest of his tears.

The previously hysterical pair were now filling up with terror, or maybe it was just concern. 

Peter didn’t want them to see him this way, he didn’t want to cry over something the other two thought was hilarious. He buried his face into his sleeves and tried to suck it up.

Stop acting like a kid, he thought. 

“Peter? Peter what’s wrong?” He heard Ned say through his muffled crying. 

Peter took a moment to collect himself and reply. He didn’t want another Avenger to walk in and see him this way.

“What’s wrong?” He asked sarcastically, poorly containing his growing anger. He didn’t want to be angry. “Did you not hear what I just heard? What I said? What he said?”

“Yeah, and it was kinda hilarious.” MJ said, trying to lighten the mood, only Peter had a different opinion of what ‘lightening the mood’ was like.

“Guys! Bucky Barnes, a literal icon, just asked me if I liked boys. Is that not a big deal?” 

“But, you do you like boys.” Ned said innocently, wondering what the problem was.

“Uh, yeah obviously, but he doesn’t know that, none of the Avengers know that. They’re the Avengers!” he snapped. 

His friends paused, their eyes bigger than when the actual real life Winter Soldier casually joined the conversation. 

“Shit! Bitch, you didn’t tell us they didn’t know!” MJ said in hushed tone. Leave it to MJ to call Peter ‘bitch’ while he’s on the verge of a panic attack. He knew she meant well.

“Yeah, well they don’t! And I wasn’t planning on telling them anytime soon, so let’s just hope he didn’t make his own conclusion.” 

“We’re so sorry Peter, we were only joking..” Ned said, trailing off. “But why don’t you tell them?”

Peter thought for a second. Why didn’t he? 

“What if they, you know, react badly? If I lost all of this,” He said, gesturing around him, “I don’t know what I’d do, this means too much to me to throw it away for something so simple as them not accepting me.” He said sadly.

“But...what if they do accept you?” 

Oh. Peter hadn’t thought of that. 

“No, seriously, think about it Pete. They save the world for a living. That’s their job, they help people in distress. You’re a people in distress, Peter Parker. I think they’d still love you. I know they would, actually. And if they don’t then, then I’ll beat them up!” Ned said confidently.

At this, Peter had to laugh. “Ned, have a nice try beating up the most powerful people in the world.” 

“They don’t stand a chance against an angry best friend.” He replied determinately

“Sure Ned, thanks Ned.”

Peter wiped his eyes once more, leaving his skin damp but his anxiety gone, or at least almost gone. 

MJ looked pleased but annoyed. 

“What?” Peter asked defensively.

“Oh, nothing, just the fact that my friends are dorks and I can’t help but love them.” She rolled her eyes but Peter could see the underlying smile she was trying to conceal. 

There was a silent moment before MJ sighed and said ‘bring it in, losers’.

They enveloped her in a hug that she wouldn’t have let anyone else see. Peter wasn’t fixed, but he felt hopeful. Maybe he could tell them, just to get it over with.

He was sick of lying. He just wanted the team to know the real him. He wasn’t sure if they were even there yet, but it was worth a try.

He just had to find the right way to tell them. 

The three friends tried not to talk about the previous incident the rest of their visit, and soon they were leaving to go home and Peter was left with his thought for a while before Tony called him down to help with some suit improvement.

He had a hard time focusing on anything though, and he didn’t realize, but Tony noticed it. He didn’t say anything, but he wanted to.

Peter had thoughts about not being close enough to any of the Avengers, which prevented him from doing and saying a lot of things.

But It affected Tony too. Tony didn’t feel it was in his place to ask him about his problems when the kid didn’t outright say he had any. He didn’t want to scare him away by getting too close.

……

After a couple days of thought, he decided he was going to do it. What’s the worst that could happen? He just had to figure out how to come out. 

“They’ll still like me. It’ll be ok Parker. You’ll survive”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again! Didja like it? I sure hope so. I popped this out in a day but it was an off and on thing so it took a good few hours. You guys have really been liking this story so far! Every time I get a comment it makes my heart smile :') , and that sounds incredibly cheesy but we here in the marvel bunch are a bunch of saps so I hope it's not too big of a bother. Tell me what you thought of this chapter and if you have any chapter ideas, we're nearing the +1 which is very exciting, I think I know how I'm going to do it. Anyways, sorry there are so many notes, thanks for reading all the way through if u took the time :)


	4. I Thought You Were American?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YA GIRL IS BACK WITH ANOTHER UPDATE
> 
> Hi guys! Sorry I wasn't able to update yesterday, I really just wasn't feeling it, yanno? But I'm back! With! An! Extra! Long! Update! (And it maybe sorta kinda has a really bad cliffhanger at the end that I wasn't sure if I was gonna write in or not but oops here we are) So I hope you Enjoyenjoyenjoy! It took a while so I hope It's worth it, I can never tell if these are any good. :(

Peter had given much thought about his situation. He thought about what Ned had told him and how everything would probably work out fine, that the Avengers wouldn’t hate him.

Though the word ‘probably’ nagged at him anytime he came close to coming out as bi. It left a little gap where things could go terribly, where things could escalate in the worst way possible. 

He thought about each of the Avengers and how he thought they might react.

He thought about Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes and how they grew up in a time that was anything but accepting, but that they didn’t let define them.

He thought about Bruce Banner and how he too had a monster inside him that he couldn’t push away, no matter how badly he wanted to.

He thought about Natasha Romanoff and how she understood the struggles of keeping secrets, about hiding herself away from others.

He thought about Wanda Maximoff and how she was a strange teenager just like him.

And he thought about Tony, and how he had became a friend, had taken the boy in and taught him things that he wouldn’t have learned anywhere else.

And these were the thoughts that soothed his mind. These were the thoughts that made him tell himself “You can do this, you’ll be alright.”

But on occasions when all of the Avengers were watching a movie or eating together, his nerves would get the best of him. His heart rate would go up, his hands would shake, and sometimes he wouldn’t realize when someone was trying to include him in the conversation.

This happened on more than one occasion, earning the attention of the whole team, exactly the opposite of what he wanted.

“Pete, you don’t look so hot.” Tony would say as Natasha pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. How domestic of her.

“Geez kid, you’re burning up.” 

And so Peter’s face would melt from pale white to hot red, gaining stares and losing his will to come out, telling himself that he’d do it another day.

And after a few of these incidents, Peter began losing hope. 

There has to be a better way to do this he thought. It’s like the word ‘bisexual’ was glued to his toung, unable to speak it yet badly wanting it expressed. 

“Ok Parker,” He told himself. “If you can’t say it directly, you’re just going to have to find another way to tell them.”

He slept on, and after many ideas, it just came to him. 

Who would Peter Parker be without his vines? 

He would go with that approach, insert a vine that could come out for him. It didn’t have to be blunt, maybe he could test the waters first. Just to see how the Avengers dealt with people like him. 

He knew that sounded harsh, and he thought about how Ned would scold him if he used that tone against himself like that.

“Don’t you dare disrespect yourself like that Mister.” He could hear him saying.

He let out a short laugh at the thought.

After about half an hour and 50 google searches with different variations of keywords, he had compiled his 23 favorite gay vines. 

“I’m lesbian.” “I thought you were American?” came first on the list. It didn’t really apply to his situation, but could work nevertheless. Testing the waters, right? 

Next on the list were various Thomas Sanders vines. 

The one in particular that spoke to him the most went as such: “So you like her, huh?” “Yes.” “So you like him now?” “Yes.” “I don’t get it, who do you like? Girls or boy?” “Yes!”

Ah yes, perfect. But far too blunt. 

The lesbian vine will do for now he told himself

So he planned it out. He found the Avengers when they were all together in the lounge room, going about their normal conversations. 

Was the loungeroom a hotspot for Peter embarrassing himself? 

It seemed like anytime he was almost maybe kinda outed he was in that stupid lounge.

But it didn’t matter, this time would be different.

So he peered into the cursed room, eyeing his teammates as they talked without noticing him stalking.

His hands shook as he pulled up the vine on YouTube. 

This isn’t a big deal he told himself. You’re not a lesbian, you have nothing to be nervous about. This is just a test run.

The plan was to walk in, silently. He would cast the vine from his phone to the shiny television than hung on the wall. 6 seconds would pass, they would all laugh, and Peter could stop freaking out and finally build up the nerve to come out.

Easy Peasy. 

So he began to walk in. With each step he caught a new Avenger’s eye. His confidence didn’t stutter, he was a soldier today and this was his mission.

“Hey, Pete.” Tony said when he noticed the boy walk in.

Peter gave no reply.

Instead, he peaked down at his phone, pressed the button to cast his screen, and hit play. Every head snapped from him to the screen and they all watched.

“Hey I’m lesbian”

“I thought you were American.”

…………...

And just like that, it was over. Everything happened so fast, the eyes of everyone in the room looked dazed.

Peter couldn’t believe he had done it. Though it was small, it was bigger than Peter had ever imagined he could do. 

There were a few moments of silence where nothing happened. The seconds dragged on for hours and Peter’s shaking hands returned as the looks he got coming into the room did too.

Was he sweating? He felt like he was sweating. 

The vine replayed in his head.

“Hey, I’m lesbian”

Everyone wore confusion on their faces, what had just happened? 

Their eyes search for answers that Peter didn’t have.

“Uh, Pete? What was that?” Tony asked, shattering the painful silence. 

Caught off guard, he replied unsurely. “Oh, It’s just a think I thought was kinda funny.” 

What a plain and acceptable answer. He laughed, and what an awkward laugh it was. 

It was one that Peter just knew everyone saw right through as an attempt to dilute the uncomfort you could practically see in the air.

“But,” Steve interjected, “I don’t get it. What does it mean?”

Crap. 

“Oh, uh, well you know, a lesbian is a person, I mean, a girl, who likes other g-” Peter got cut off.

“Peter we know what a lesbian is.” Bruce said, joining the conversation.

“Oh yeah, um, well the boy in the video didn’t, and he thought it was, I don’t know, some other nationality or something? But the girl was American, so he was, like, really confused.”

There was another beat of silence.

And then Tony let out a laugh.

“Hah, yeah that’s funny kid.” 

And Peter let out a breath he had been holding ever since he walked in the room.

“Oh, hah, yeah it is, I mean, I think it is.”

He noticed the others’ faces smile a little, Natasha even laughed. 

Nothing more was said, which made the awkward teen slightly disappointed, yet grateful at the same time.

What else was there to be said?

“So uh, that’s all I wanted to show you guys.” He said, putting his hand up in the air as if he were finishing a Ted Talk and thanking the crowd.

And right as he was about to walk out of the door from which he came, Bucky “Do You Like Boys?” Barnes stopped him.

“Hey, uh, Peter, what made you decide to show us that?” The soldier asked like he already knew why but didn’t want to say. Peter cursed the remark under his breath. Why. Why? Was it Bucky’s secret grumpy-old-man agenda to out poor, fearful teens like him?

He didn’t want to raise suspicion. He didn’t have enough courage to actually come out yet, so he’d be damned if Bucky Barnes was going to do it for him.

Part of Peter was scared for his life, had the soldier figured him out? Was Peter’s lousy attempt at pulling himself further into the closet really his coming out?

“Um, I just thought it was funny.” He said, trying to act innocent.

“Well, lots of things are funny. Why have you chosen this, piddly six second video, out of all the other piddly six second videos to show to us for our viewing entertainment?”

The other Avengers showed confusion once more, clearly not understanding why Bucky was grilling this tiny child who played with legos and ate lucky charms.

“I don’t know man, why have you chosen a kid to pick your fights with? I thought you were a soldier not, not, not an acne ridden middle schooler with a bad haircut who takes kid’s lunch money!” He practically yelled. 

Ouch. Peter didn’t mean to take it that far. He wasn’t in a position to take it that far.

All the Avengers were quiet for a good three seconds before bursting into various “Ooooooh!”s and “He got you goooood!!”s 

Tony, who was obviously the loudest, looked like a parent who had just watched his kid hit a home run.

Meanwhile, Bucky held an almost proud grin on his face, more entertained than hurt.

Peter didn’t join in on the fun, partly from embarrassment, and partly from fear of Bucky asking his bloody question once more. 

It was the perfect chance to escape. And he took it.

Nobody seemed to notice at first, but as Peter walked out of the room and down the hallway he started hearing the excitement of a teenage boy roasting his 100 year old elder die down. 

He sped up, and finally reached the elevator which would take him into the safe haven that was his room.

Before he could escape, though, he heard a voice calling behind him. 

“Hey kid, I’m sorry if I upset you, I really didn’t mean it.” Bucky said, looking somewhat guilty from how the teen reacted to his teasing.

And with that, Peter turned around to glance at the winter soldier, hope somewhere in his eyes. Did he really mean it?

He continued. 

“I know it can be hard to come out as a lesbian, I’m sorry.” He smirked as he pulled himself back into the room with the practical children.

And Peter broke inside.

So many thoughts were rushing through at the same time that he hardly noticed the elevator door opening for him. He ran inside for coverage from god knows what.

Bucky knew. He must have known. Why else would he say that.

Obviously Peter wasn’t a lesbian, but he didn’t have to be, the soldier saw right through his damn mind.

The elevator doors couldn’t close fast enough. He was fighting away the tears that starting coming faster and faster.

He wanted to come out, but not like that. Anything but that. 

Peter scowled at himself, why did he have to cry at everything?

And as he ran from the elevator, he opened the door to the room he stayed in at the tower and collapsed on the bed as if he were a damsel in distress.

Hell, if he was a lesbian than he might as well have been a damsel.

He tried not making too much noise as his stomach churned and every once of dignity drained from his body.

Bucky knows and he’s going to tell everyone else and they’re going to be mad at me for everything because I’m just a stupid kid who can’t even admit he likes boys.

The motivation he had before to come out had been washed away by dread and embarrassment.

In that moment, Peter hated everything that he was. He hated that he liked boys, he hated that he cried at stupid things, he hated that he still couldn’t talk to the Avengers because anytime he tried he’d get nervous and end up making a fool of himself.

He thought back to the conversation, and the more he over thought it, the dumber he felt. 

It wasn’t a reason to cry, idiot. Now bucky thinks you’re gay and a 5 year old. 

He wished Ned and MJ were there, they’d talk him through everything. They always made him feel not dumb. 

Maybe they’d tell me it’s not such a good idea to come out, anyways.

But he knew that was just just what he wanted to hear, not what he actual would.

……

A little while later he heard a knock at the door and a soft, concerned voice accompanying it.

“Hey Peter, can I come in?” Natasha said from the other side of the door. 

Peter panicked and quickly started wiping his face to hide the fact that he’d been crying. He knew it was no use, but he couldn’t have said no, could he now?

“Uh, sure I guess.”

Slowly the door cracked open, and Natasha smiled a little before opening the door the rest of the way to come in.

She let out a little “Hi,”, unsure of what to say to the boy. 

“Hi.” Said Peter in return, with a voice so paper thin he wasn’t sure she could hear it at all. 

She rubbed her arm before nodding towards the bed, silently asking if she could sit down. Peter, of course, nodded yes.

“I, uh, just wanted to see how you were doing,” She said. “You seemed a little down earlier.”

Peter let out a sharp laugh. He was more than just a little down.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” 

“What was that thing with Bucky about?” 

Peter didn’t know what to say.

“I’m not sure, sometimes it just seems like he doesn’t like me, or that he’s just trying to pick a fight.”

Natasha waited a second before replying.

“Ah, you know how old men are sometimes.” she said, trying to lighten the mood.

“I guess.”

Nobody knew what to do to fill the gap, so they sat there in silence. Natasha laid a hand on his back, reassuring him. 

Peter didn’t expect what he was about to say to come out of is mouth.

“Do you, do you ever just feel like, you have to hide, or something? Like, your friends see one side of you, but you keep your true side to yourself? And you want them to see that side of you, but you just, can’t?”

Natasha laughed with a knowing expression.

“Kid, I know exactly what you mean.” 

“Yeah, well, that’s how I feel.”

Natasha took her hand off of Peter and looked him in the eyes before standing up again. 

“If you ever want to talk about it, you know where I am,” She told him before slowly making her way to the door. But she turned around and looked at him one more time.

“And, Peter?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Uh, I guess.”

“...Are you gay?”

There was only silence. The words were thinner than air.

“...No” 

“Ok, Peter.”

And then she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "And I said no, you know, like a liar"
> 
> hhhhhhhhh How was that for you! I'm sorry i had to do that to you at the end, really I am. And I kinda don't know if that ending was stupid or not? Like I really did debate whether or not I was gonna include it but oh well I suppose. And also I feel like the end was really rushed because I really just wanted to get a new chapter out to you guys? You guys have been really loving these! I hope you like this one too and I hoped it didn't seem rushed or weird! We're so close to the +1 I can hardly take it! But please comment if you liked it if you like :') I really really love when you guys comment, it makes my whole day, you guys are too good to me!! 
> 
> (I'm not going to deny myself, Peter roasting Bucky Is my favorite thing it was fun to insult him even tho I love him :') And I know it seems like Bucky is really mean here, but I didn't mean for it to seem that way, he just likes teasing)


	5. Oops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI GUYS! It's ya girl. And we're back again for another angsty chapter. Oof my heart hurts. This one is a little shorter than usual but I hope to make up for it in the L A S T C H A P T E R. I hope this chapter doesn't sound too repetitive, I'm always afraid these chapters sound out of character or don't make any sense. But I'll stop talking, and I hope you enjoy!

“Are you gay?”

“No”

The words repeated in his head more times than he could count. They clawed at his mind and forced tears that he didn’t want to cry.

He wasn’t even sure why he was crying.

Maybe it was because he felt like his secret was out.

Maybe it was because he wanted it to be.

Natasha gave him that knowing smile like she saw through his blatant lie but didn’t want to mention it.

She wouldn’t have asked him if she didn’t suspect it already, now would she?

His nightmare was coming true. He just knew that Bucky had told on him, had ratted him out. Why else would this be happening

I hate my life I hate my life I hate my life.

He knew that he was being dramatic, but it was hard not to be when his world seemed to be on fire.

His perception of time seemed to shift. Minutes felt like hours, hours felt like days. 

Before he knew it, it was 6 o’clock and the Avengers would be eating diner soon, and he would be called down to join them.

If he didn’t go, he knew that someone else would come up to ask what the problem was. If he did, he would either sit in painful silence, or be forced to answer questions he didn’t want to.

And just like Peter guessed, 10 minutes later he got an alert from FRIDAY.

“Peter, Mr. Stark would like to know if you will be joining him for dinner.” said the automatic voice.

He took a deep breath and layed back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

“What are we having for dinner?”

“Mac N’ cheese and Red Bull, sir.”

Peter sighed. He knew that was just a way to get him to come down, how could he not? Mr. Stark knew him way too well.

“Ok, FRIDAY, tell him I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Ok, Peter”

He groaned, rolling off of the bed sluggishly. He mourned for any remaining stability, if he even had any left.

Walking to the elevator seemed to take every ounce of courage and will he had. He imagined the burning stares from the Avengers as he walked into the kitchen. 

He shook his head.

This will be the day that I die.

He went down floor by floor, but it went too fast. It was in a tower dominated by Stark Tech, of course it did. 

In a matter of seconds he was off the elevator and walking towards the smell of mac n’ cheese, dread filling every ounce of his body.

As he turned the corner leading into the lounge, he saw every one of the Avengers standing awkwardly in front of him with watery smiles on their faces. He cringed.

“Hey, Pete!” Tony said, trying to sound enthusiastic as to not make the boy uncomfortable. It didn’t work. 

Peter wasn’t exactly sure what to say. 

“Uh, hey guys.”

He shot a look at Natasha, who seemed to be a little awkward after their conversation. Peter sighed. What are they doing?

“Ok, guys, really, what’s going on.”

Everyone interchanged looks before Steve, of all people, spoke up.

“We just wanted to have a nice dinner with our favorite friendly neighborhood spiderman!” He said with a skip in his step. It sounded strangely like the Captain America PSA videos he had to watch at school sometimes.

But he saw through it. Something was up, you know, beside the fact that they all probably knew his big secret that they weren’t supposed to know.

“Ok…” Peter said, unintentionally sounding suspicious.

They could all sense his uncomfort, it was thick, thick enough to cut through.

He began to walk towards the couches. Just as Tony had promised, mac n cheese sat on the coffee tables in front of them, and Peter almost smiled. They knew how to cheer him up, huh.

He was the first to sit down, but was soon followed by the others. He was able to nab the armchair. He didn’t have the energy to sit next to anyone at this state.

Part of him thought that maybe they really didn’t know what was going on, but his emotional side told him otherwise.

He remembered how he ran out of the lounge after showing them the vine, and how Bucky followed him out to call him a lesbian. He thought about how silent the room had became after he left it. 

And he remembered Natasha, and how she had come up to check on him and had probably reported back to the rest of the Avengers.

“What do you want to watch, Pete?” Tony said, breaking Peter’s train of thought.

“Oh, uh, I don’t care.” 

Tony blinked. Outgoing Peter never passed on the opportunity to choose what to play on the television.

“You sure? What about Kid Gorgeous? Or maybe another Harry Potter movie? Or The incredibles?” He continued.

“Any one of those is fine. Put on Kid Gorgeous or something, I don’t care.” Peter replied blanky, but with growing frustration.

Peter noticed how the Avengers became exceptionally quiet, he didn’t think it was possible.

“FRIDAY, play Kid Gorgeous.”

“Ok sir, Kid Gorgeous is now playing on Television 6”

And with that, everyone ate their mac in silence, only pausing to sip their red bull or laugh at the same jokes they’ve heard 300 times.

Well, almost everybody laughed.

everyone noticed how Peter never smiled, never chuckled, never quoted bits like he usually did.

But they said nothing. They didn’t want to upset him again. 

Bucky felt like all of this was his fault. Wasn’t it? He was the one who made Peter run out of the room. He was the one who called him a lesbian and saw the look of horror on his face but laughed anyways.

Natasha felt like this was her fault. She had asked a question that she didn’t think was right of her to ask. 

And Tony especially thought this was his fault. He had taken Peter in, in a way, and he should have done better to make him feel welcome. He didn’t seem to feel too welcomed right now, and Tony didn’t know why.

He was clueless sometimes when it came to younger generations, but he saw himself in Peter.

But to Peter, everything was his own fault. None of this would have happened if he would have just just tried to hide himself better. It wasn’t a necessity to come out, he shouldn’t have thought it was ok to share that side of himself with the Avengers anyway.

So he continued to sit in his chair and eat his mac while the others became increasingly anxious. Soon, they couldn’t take it.

“FRIDAY, pause.” Tony said, rearranging himself on the couch to face Peter in his chair. Peters eyes grew just a little.

“Ok Peter, I was hoping you’d tell us in your own time, but something's wrong. Can we please acknowledge the elephant in the room?”

Peter glanced over everyone nervously, their eyes seemed to agree with Tony.

Peter sighed. It was going to happen eventually, and he decided this would go a lot easier if he didn’t try to deny something was wrong. 

“I don’t know, just teen stuff.” Peter knew he couldn’t get away with that answer, but it was worth a shot.

“Peter, that’s not going to work on me again.” Tony retaliated.

“Sorry…” Peter said, trailing off. “I don’t know, it’s just some personal stuff I guess, it’s no big deal.”

“Well, if it isn’t such a big deal than why have you been acting so distant?”

Again, Peter’s eyes darted across everyone’s in the room, they opted to stay silent.

And Peter didn’t say a word.

“You think I haven’t noticed how distracted you seem in the lab? How you tiptoe around us like we’re poisonous? You haven’t been the same recently, and I don’t know how to help you. We all care about you, Pete.” 

Everyone nodded just a little, even Bucky. 

Peter groaned and sat his pasta down on the table in front of him. He sat silently, looking at everyone around him.

He knew that Tony just wanted what was best for him, but this? This was torture.

“What do you want me to say here? This has to be like, the worst time and place for a serious conversation ever.”

“So you agree it’s serious?” Steve chimed.

Peter groaned. 

“No! Well, maybe, but this just isn’t the right timing!”

“Peter, I hate doing this to you, but please just tell us. We’ll let you leave after, but please just tell us what’s wrong. This is for your own good.” Tony continued. 

“Is it, though? Because it sure doesn’t feel like it.”

The room fell silent.

“I’m, I’m sorry.” 

Everyone seemed to urge him to continue.

“I don’t know guys, it’s not exactly easy to tell The Avengers all your personal problems.”

“Oh, is that what this is about?” Natasha said, a confused look playing on her face.

“Well, no, not completely I mean-” 

“Peter, we know you, you don’t have to act like we’re strangers.”

And just like that, Peter felt helpless. What was he supposed to say to that? He knew she was right, they had been through some stuff together, however new he was to the group.

He threw his head back in frustration, but he knew she was right. But this was supposed to be his decision, not something they could force out of him

“I know, I know, it’s just, coming out is so hard already a-”

Oops

Shit shit shit shit shit.

He said it. 

Peter’s eyes opened wide as the reality of his words came crashing down. Maybe they didn’t catch it.

“Peter?” Tony said as the youngest stood up from his chair

“Shit! I didn’t mean to say that!”

“Come out as what?”

Peter looked around, starting to breath hard. 

“I...I got to go.”

And just like always, Peter ran.It was starting to become routine.

“Peter wait!”

But it was too late, he was gone, and everyone else sat in the dust, processing, worrying, and regretting the past 5 minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O O F. How was that? Is your heart aching? Mine sure is. Ugh, Peter, Peter, Peter, THEY L O V E YOU. Bi Peter is a mood ngl. Peter is very small, and has no money, so you can imagine the kind of stress he is under. But seriously, the next chapter is the last! Wow! I really really really hope I didn't break your heart too much, and I hope you liked it! The next chapter will be 50% angst and 50% fluff hopefully, I'm not sure since I haven't actually written it yet lol. But thank you all for continuing to comment! I love you all you're all too nice! Thanks for reading!!!
> 
> (Also, A lot of you picked up on the John Mulaney reference so I have decided that it's officially cannon for the Avengers and Peter to watch Kid Gorgeous I don't make the rules)


	6. High Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UUUH HI GUYS IT'S YA GIRL AGAIN. Sorry I took so long to update guys, this chapter was kinda draining, like I just could've find the inspo. I feel like I could have done better with the final chapter, but I really wanted to finish it before school started (Which is this Wednesday in case you were wondering) because you guys have been really patient with me :) But anyways, I really hope you enjoy!

Everyone felt a whirlwind of emotions. Everything happened so quickly. One second Peter was sitting in his chair, avoiding their questions, and the next he was storming away after confessing his deepest secret that they weren’t supposed to know.

They all looked around at each other. Most of their mouths were open, almost commenting, but never quite getting there.

“Shit,” Tony whispered, looking almost frantic before standing up hastily. “I got to go after him-”

Natasha grabbed his hand.

“No, Tony, I think he probably wants to be alone. He’ll talk to us when he’s ready. He won’t stay in his room forever.”

Tony groaned, giving in and sitting back down into his chair. He pinched the bridge of his nose, as if that was going to get rid of the pain he felt for Peter.

“We messed up, we messed up so bad.” 

They all shared a sad look of agreement, nodding their heads. Nobody wanted to be the one to ask the question, but finally Bucky spoke up

“What do you think he wants to come out as?” 

“Well, I asked if he was gay earlier, and he said no, but that doesn’t mean anything. He could’ve been lying.” 

They all took a pause. Bucky had to lighten the mood.

“Well, at least we know he’s not a lesbian.”

Everyone groaned.

“You know, I really didn’t know,” He continued. “I was just teasing him, I didn’t know he was really...really struggling with this. It makes sense though, once I asked him if he liked boys, just as a joke, you know, and he freaked out a little.”

No one replied. They all seemed to share a certain kind of hurt for the boy who was too scared to come out.

“I feel horrible.” Tony said, still processing and regretting his words.

“We all do. There’s nothing to be done now.” Steve replied, standing up to pat his shoulder. 

Tony looked up at him. “Are you...Are you ok with all of this? Like, you know, Peter?” He hesitated, not sure if the soldier would take offense to it. 

He laughed slightly. “Of course I am Tony, don’t worry about me. Peter is who he is.” 

Tony nodded as Steve sat back down. What else could be done now besides wait? They were too anxious to watch TV, it just didn’t seem appropriate. 

So they continued to sit in their chairs and couches, only making conversation every once in a while.

And while they felt awful for embarrassing Peter the way they did, the boy felt the same emotion in a completely different way.

As he ran to his bedroom and collapsed on his bed, he didn’t just cry, he sobbed. He made sure to lock his door so that nobody could see him fall apart. 

He was just so angry, so scared, and he felt 50 different ways all in a matter of seconds. He felt worthless.

He didn’t want to be mad at his idles and mentors, but it was just so easy to. If it weren’t for them, he would still be closeted, the way he knew it should have been.

His stomach felt tight, he wanted to throw up. 

Is this even that big of a deal? 

Maybe not. 

But it sure does feel like it.

Though his persistent tears kept falling, he was relieved that after a while had passed, no one had come up to confront him. But it made his anxiety skyrocket. Did it mean they hated him? 

He had to get away.

So he put his suit on, that would fix him. When he was wearing it, he felt like a different person, one who people looked up to. He used it to escape, this time literally.

As he opened up his bedroom window, he looked down at the ground and sighed at the distance between it and himself. 

He just needed to leave. 

So he shot a web to a building diagonal to the Avenger’s tower. It wasn’t as tall, but it would do.   
The wind sped past him as he swung from building to building, not even stopping when Karen alerted him that Mr. Stark was tracking him in the suit. He didn’t care.

He only cared about the city, the living, breathing city that was his home. Right then and there, he wasn’t an anxious boy who had outed himself to living legends, he was spiderman.

He heard a couple of calls for him on the street below. He wasn’t quite sure if they were cries of help or recognition, but he continued on anyways, cursing himself for being so selfish as to not help those who may have needed it.

He went on like this for 20 minutes. Eventually his flow of tears slowed down and he felt ok for the first time in a few hours. 

After tiring out, he needed a break. He took himself to the tallest building he could find, and it was perfect for sitting on the edge and taking deep, soothing breathes.

That was something Tony had taught him. He had helped the teenager through more anxiety attacks than he cared to admit, so eventually he began using his techniques more often.

Breathe in

Breath out

He lost track of time while he was watching the city. His city. There was silence, but it was city silence. Cars beeped in the background, planes hummed overhead. It was calming.

Peter nearly forgot why he was upset in the first place.

But soon he remembered again, and he was all alone on an unfamiliar building, holding a weight on his chest that made it hard to breathe. 

He had two options. He could talk to the Avengers about it, answer their questions and just be honest for once. Or he could just avoid it. Would it be so hard to block out their questions?

But Peter knew it would be. He only had one choice. Eventually, Tony would be coming to find him, he had no doubt about it.

He knew that he needed to get back to the tower soon, no matter how badly he loathed confronting his teammates. His body almost refused to move from his spot, he didn’t want to leave his peaceful surroundings, even if his thoughts were bombarded with scary ‘what ifs’

But he did it, he built up strength he didn't know he had. Going back to the tower would mean confrontation, but he told himself he could endure it.

So he jumped from the edge of the tower, only shooting a string of web when he neared the ground. He had learned to be quite a daredevil, he was confident in his agility and knew that he could catch himself quickly. 

Sometimes when Tony caught him doing it he would have a meltdown, telling Peter that “You’ll get yourself killed.” and the likes.

The thought made Peter smile just a little bit. He thought briefly about how much the billionaire cared about him, which willed him to get himself back to the tower.

Maybe they won’t hate me.

He crossed his fingers.

Meanwhile back at the tower, everyone was starting to worry more. Peter had been out for a long time, and they were worried that he wasn’t going to come back at all that night.

But they understood why he wouldn’t want to.

While their nerves skyrocketed, their guilt trailed behind, making them feel worse and worse with each passing moment. They were all to blame, but each of them felt as if it were their own faults alone. 

Tony couldn’t take it anymore.

“Friday, how far away is Peter now?” He said all too anxiously. 

“Peter is currently 0.7 miles from your location” 

Everyone’s eyes shot a glimmer of hope. He was so close. He only needed to bridge the gap.

“Friday, pull up Peter’s GPS” 

And sure enough, he was moving quickly in the direction of the tower. 

Tony let out a relieved sigh, along with everyone else. They all watched intently as he moved closer and closer, finally stopping right at their location. 

They all radiated hope, but fizzled out the more they thought about the talk that was ultimately coming, the stress that would be put on the boy who had endured enough already. 

But, after a few minutes had passed in which the boy was home, Peter had not come down. 

They all wondered if they needed to just wait until the net day to confront him, or if they needed to get it over with then and there. But then they played back the stress he had gone through in their heads, realizing that he didn’t need to pile anymore on tonight.

Tony spoke for all of them. 

“Do you think,” He trailed. “Do you think I should go up and...talk to him?”

They all seemed to ponder the question. 

“I don’t think so, Tony.” whispered Natasha, shaking her head slowly.

And so again, they waited. They weren’t expecting an answer, hell, they didn’t know if they would even see Peter that night. They were prepared to sit patiently.   
But, fortunately, they didn’t have to.

Peter wanted to talk. Even though most of his mind screamed denial, he wanted to get it over with. Ben had taught him that ripping off band aids hurt a lot less than tugging gently. He took that to heart.

So Peter Parker, bi disaster, snuck downstairs to the living room from which he ran away only hours before. He wasn’t sure if the Avengers would be there anymore, he didn’t expect them to wait for him. 

As he peeked into the room, he almost hoped to see no one, but he saw everyone. 

And they all saw him. 

It was too late to swoop back in to the hallway, out of sight from everyone. They had made eye contact.

“Peter?” 

The boy heard Tony call from inside the lounge. It was far softer than Peter had thought he could talk. It was almost like Tony was an animal trainer trying to catch a dog in the wild that was wounded and scared.

Peter was wounded and scared.

But he gathered the courage and peeked around the corner once more to see everyone looking in his direction. They all wore some guilty, sad expression on their faces, and Tony was suddenly standing from his spot in the arm chair.

As Peter walked into the silent room, his entire soul felt awkward.

“Geez guys, who died?” He joked, rubbing his neck and avoiding everyone’s eyes.

And they all felt a lot better, like that’s all it took to lighten the mood.

He didn’t feel like he needed to sit down, but Tony gestured towards an open seat. He took it slowly.

“Uh, what’s up guys.” He suggested, not exactly sure what to say to the small crowd. He glanced over at Bucky nervously before pulling his eyes back to his clasped hands. 

Natasha decided she was going to be the one to speak for the rest.

“Peter, I just want to start off by saying that we’re all really sorry, for...pressuring you. I think that you should be the one to tell us, well, whatever you need to tell us.”

“Oh, um, ok. That’s good to hear, I guess.” 

He could tell they were waiting for him to say more. 

“I don’t know what to say now, really.”

They all interlocked eyes. 

“Peter, you know you can tell us anything. We’ve noticed that you’ve been bothered by something.” Steve said, trying to tiptoe around the fact that Peter halfway outed himself earlier.

Peter blinked.

“Ok, um, guys- a- and girl.” He said, nodding at Nat but not daring to make eye contact. “So, I wasn’t really planning on telling anyone this until just, like, 2 days ago. And I know you guys all heard my...slip up, a few hours ago. So, I guess I’ll just, say it.”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying with every piece of his soul not to shake.

“I’m, uh I’m bi.”

The band aid had been ripped off.

And it hurt a lot.

Nobody said anything. Jesus, why weren’t they saying anything.

He nearly felt like breaking out in tears again, why was he so emotional?

But before Peter even knew it, Bucky was holding up his hand for what looked like a high five.

“Oh, cool, me too.” He said, waiting for Peter to hit his hand.

What?

“Wait, really?” He exclaimed, high fiving the 100 year old soldier back.

“Is it not obvious?” Bucky responded before being cut off by Tony.

“Kid, why didn’t you just tell us?”

The boy thought about it for a moment, almost asking if the answer wasn’t obvious.

“I, I don’t know. I didn’t want it to, you know, affect anything.”

“It would never. Anyone who disagrees can kiss it. You’re fine kid, everything is fine. I just wished you would have told us sooner.”

And Peter wiped away gentle tears that were rolling down his cheeks. Damn. 

“Oh, did I do something wrong? I’m sorry-” Tony started apologizing before being cut off by the sound of Peter laughing and sniffling at the same time.

“No, Mr. Stark, it’s ok, you didn’t do anything. I’m just a dumb kid who cries too much.”

Tony let out a relieved ‘oh’ and stood up to ruffle the kid’s hair. Such a dad move. 

“Nah, kid, you’re not dumb. You’re just a very obvious.” He said, trailing off at the end as if he didn’t want Peter to hear.

“Oh, no no no, Mr. Stark, don’t pretend like you knew, I was secretive!”

“Oh sure, secretive like that time at that f ancy restaurant we all went to when you actually almost had an aneurysm because of that waiter? We all noticed kid, you can’t get anything past us.” He joked.

That comment made Peter much more embarrassed than he had been before, but he’d never let them know.

“Ok, maybe, just maybe,” He trailed. “But is nobody going to talk about Bucky? Seriously?”

“Hey, you and Bucky aren’t the only ones, kid.” Steve said suddenly, joining in the conversation.

And it made Peter’s jaw drop.

“No way!” 

The super soldier laughed.

“Yes way.”

His mind was blown. Two of the most iconic, influential people Peter knew was suddenly coming out as bi to him, nonchalantly. 

“You guys are definitely the coolest people I’ve ever met.”

“Eh, don’t mention it kid.” Bucky said in this cool tone that Peter couldn’t help wonder was real or not.

Did Peter really come out to the Avengers? Everything was way too simple and...well, perfect. He pinched himself just to make sure. 

Ouch

Yep, it was real. 

He wore this stupid grin on his face, just, so happy. Why had he even been scared in the first place?

Everyone just sat in silence, that for once wasn’t awkward.

“So, uh, do you guys want to watch Harry Potter or something?”

“Sure kid.”

And that was the end of it. It was such a simple conversation, Peter almost wondered if it had even happened at all.

They all just accepted him as he was, no strings attached. 

What did Peter do to deserve them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H I again! IT'S OVER. OUR BI DISASTER DID IT FINALLY! After taking so long to write it and re reading it over and over, I'm not going to lie, I've gotten kinda sick of it lol, so I can't really tell if it's any good? I really hope that I've at least kind of pleased you guys, you've all been so incredibly nice and supportive while writing this and it really helped a lot, so thank you so much! I kinda want to make this a series (Our bi disaster continuing to be a bi disaster, maybe telling May?), so maybe subscribe to my profile if you want to stay updated? It would mean the world. :) Things might get busy since school is starting so I might not write anything for a little bit, I know you guys understand. But thank you guys again for commenting such nice things and staying throughout the entire fic, I really hope you've enjoyed it.
> 
> Anyways, It's been fun, 
> 
> with love, ya girl.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked that first chapter :') I realize it's kinda short because I got tired but didn't want to wait until tomorrow to finish it, but I'll try to make the next ones longer, and I'll try to get out another out soon. Also constructive criticism is appreciated but please not too harsh bc I'm but a child :') If you want to suggest ideas of how our bi disaster, Peter Parker, accidentally almost comes out to the Avengers just let me know because I'm a wreck who honestly needs help? So uhhhhhhhhhh thanks :)


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